A screen shot shows a message from the Syrian Electronic Army that appeared Monday to people visiting the Marine Corps recruitment website. (Screen shot)

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Syrian pro-government hackers defaced the Marine Corps recruitment website on Monday, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Syrian Electronic Army, which supports the embattled regime of President Bashar al-Assad, left a statement denounced President Obama and urged Marines to disobey any orders to fight in Syria.

“Dear US Marines,” read the statement, “this is a message written by your brothers in the Syrian Army, who have been fighting Al Qaeda for the last 3 years. We understand your patriotism and love for your country so please understand our love for ours. Obama is a traitor who wants to put your lives in danger to rescue Al Qaeda insurgents. Marines, please take a look at what your comrades think about Obama's alliance with Al Qaeda against Syria. Your officer in charge probably has no qualms about sending you to die against soldiers just like you, fighting a vile common enemy. The Syrian army should be your ally not your enemy. Refuse your orders and concentrate on the real reason every soldier joins their military, to defend their homeland. You’re more than welcome to fight alongside our army rather than against it.

“Your brothers, the Syrian army soldiers.”

Accompanying the statement were five photos of what appeared to be uniformed U.S. military personnel, their faces obscured by placards demanding the U.S. stay out of Syria, as well as their refusal to fight there. The Marine Corps stated that the Web site is now operating normally, and that the site had not been directly hacked, but rather that the attackers had redirected traffic toward another site.

The defaced site is the Marines’ commercial website, which is a recruitment tool. The service’s dot.mil site was unaffected.